Supreme Court judges report to Seyku Rasheed

This Thursday is supposedly a big day for the newly formed Supreme Court of the Maldives. The case submitted by Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra) to ban Gayyoom from seeking office as he has served more than two terms already, will be heard that afternoon. Later on the same day, a decision will be taken of the case by Adhaalath Party to rule on whether Gayyoom is a Sunni Muslim and the case on the eligibility of MDP candidate Mohamed Nasheed will also be heard later on Thursday evening. 

However, many are aware that the Supreme Court Judges are going to rule in favour of the dictator as sources within the regime say that the judges are directly reporting to Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim, former chief justice and head of Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. According to them, the Supreme Court will throw away the two cases against Gayyoom but it is unclear what Gayyoom will decide to do on Anni's case. The case against Anni will be heard at 10:00 pm on Thursday night. 

What is sad is that despite the separation of powers, on the outset, the dictator is very much in control of all three, the executive, the judiciary and the legislature.

Supreme Court on trial: Is it man enough to reject Golhaa?

The newly formed Supreme Court faces its baptism of fire barely a week into its existence. Liberal Party has challenged Golhaabo’s candidacy for a ridiculous 7th term on the grounds that it violates the spirit and letter of Article 73 of the Maldives Constitution. The verdict it gives will make or break the nascent Supreme Court, demonstrating to the nation whether the Court is man enough to guide the Maldives into a fully fledged democracy, or spineless enough to be Golhaabo’s next puppy. 

Coming to the actual issue, the case before the Court is open-and-shut if at all there was one. The spirit of the constitution is to limit the terms of a President to two. How does anyone in his right mind believe this generation of Maldivians will wait another 10 years for the old goat to die before they can see a new face? How is it that the aspirations of an entire nation must be sacrificed at the altar of a barefaced crook? 

The letter of the Constitution as expressed in Article 73 is also quite clear on the issue. There is no need to go into fruitless debates on “this” and “that” when the very legal basis for the summoning of the Special Majlis is to amend the Constitution, as there is no provision to abolish the Constitution. This is demonstrable in Golhaabo’s letters to Majlis and his own speeches before he became greedy once again. The question is will the Court see all this?

A more appropriate question is will Golhaabo allow the Court to speak its own mind? The prospects are dim considering that Supreme Court has selected Golhaabo’s nephew Shaheen Hameed as its lawyer. Why on earth did the Court choose him of all people? Everyone knows he is a has-been. 

At one time Shaheen was supposed to be the best lawyer in Maldives. But that was when his Dad was in charge of the courts and could make threatening phone calls to the judges. After daddy Moakulhi Hameed’s departure from the scene, few people if any hire Shaheen. It’s obvious why Shaheen is there. 

It is stupid of Shaheen to talk about the importance of the Inthigaalee chapter. Everyone knows Golhaa’s members inserted clauses there that go against the main chapters of the Constitution just to accommodate Golhaa. 

The Court to avoid being part of the family plot to sustain Golhaa’s dictatorship. Show your quality and guts.

Source: Dhivehi Observer

First ever court case against Maumoon

The Supreme Court's first hearing on the case against Maumoon's candidature in the upcoming presidential elections is scheduled to be held tomorrow (24th September 2008) starting from 11:30 AM.

The Liberal Party submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court yesterday to nullify the Elections Commission's decision to allow Maumoon Abdul Qayyoom to contest the upcoming Presidential Elections.

According to the Party Spokesperson Uz. Hassan Latheef, Article 107 of the Constitution stipulates quite clearly that the Office of the President may not be held by one person for more than a total of two terms, and Maumoon has already occupied the Office for six terms.

Liberal Party requests the public to attend the hearing which will be held at the Supreme Court in Mulee-aage.

Ibra's Running Mate: Fathmath Nahid Shakir

Until thrown into the limelight on 19 September 2008, by becoming the first female contender to the Maldivian Vice Presidency, Nahid has been a working mom. Bringing up two children and working for most part of their lives in developing the education system of the country, Nahid combines the challenges of both motherhood and a fulltime career in education. 

Nahid has been working as a curriculum expert the last fourteen or so years. Receiving a Masters Degree (with distinction), from University of Reading, in Educational Planning and Organisation in 2006, Nahid has been a dedicated civil servant who is passionate about the state of education in the Maldives. Nahid has not made her disillusionment with the education system an excuse to give up her efforts to change it. Starting in 1983 as a lowly paid preschool teacher, she also worked in primary teaching before she decided she could do more for the nation by putting her efforts into curriculum development.

Living all her life in Male' has not made her a stranger to life in the Maldivian islands. While growing up she spent her school holidays in the atolls with her family. Also, in her work in the Educational Development Centre she has travelled widely within the country. 

Married to Ahmed Athif (X-ray Athif), since 1986, they have two children Mun-ish (Moosh) 21 yrs and Mishya (Mishy) 15 yrs.

Coming from a close knitted family, Nahid and her siblings suffered the tragic loss of both their mother and father in a boat accident in 1991. Her parents had been on their annual trip to Meemu and Vaavu which had been a ritual ever since Nahid remembers.

According to her friends, Nahid is an understanding, trustworthy and generous person who is always there for them. Her friends consider Nahid 'a friend of substance' who is a good listener and who inspires confidence in people around her. Her links to the 'upperclass' has not stopped Nahid from embodying the hospitality and friendliness which is a cornerstone of Maldivian culture. People not as close to Nahid describe her as a 'traditional' Maldivian, extending the warmth and friendliness of the everyday neighbour. 'She is one of the few women who would stop on the street and speak to you even if she did not know you by name'.

Nahid values a set of admirable ethics, especially when it comes to work. A committed worker, Nahid completes her deadlines, a quality admired and appreciated by her colleagues . Not a woman to take the endless tea breaks or sit around chit chatting, she would do exactly what she was supposed to do: carry out multitudinous responsibilities in a limited number of hours everyday. Most of her students remember her as a vibrant teacher who showed them the meaning of acceptance and who had a smile for everybody.

As she slowly makes her mark on Maldivian life, Nahid will, to a large degree, be doing Maldivian women in general a service, despite their minority involvement in the nation's politics. The presence of such a woman at the heart of government bodes well for all Maldivians.

Ibra selects Nahid as running mate

Ibra has appointed Fathimath Nahid Shakir as his running mate. The announcement was made at a ceremony held at Dharubaaruge last night(19th Sepetember 2008).

Ibra's Running Mate and Drug Policy to be announced tomorrow night

A special ceremony to announce Ibra's running mate and launch Ibra's drug policy will be held tomorrow night (Friday, 19th September 2008) at Dharubaaruge. The ceremony is scheduled to start at 9:30 PM. Everyone's invited.

source: www.ibra2008.com

Breaking News: First Round Of Elections Before Deadline

Source: Minivan News
By Emily Reed in Malé
September 16, 2008

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The first round of the country's first multiparty presidential elections will be held before the constitutional deadline, the Elections Commission has confirmed, but the second will be outside the date.

An official from the Elections Commission told Minivan News that an exact date will be announced on Tuesday evening, but said the first round would "definitely" be before 10 October. 

It is likely the date is now expected to be around the 9th October, according to previous statements.

It comes after the presidential elections bill was passed in parliament, the second of the two bills required before finalisation of an election date. The first of the essential bills, the electoral bill, was passed on Monday.

A total of 32 MPs out of 42 voted for the bill at the session of Tuesday morning, after 6 out of 16 proposed amendments were accepted. The bill is expected to be ratified by the president within hours.

But elections commision spokesperson Mohamed Tholal said he does not think the second round - required if no candidate gains a majority - could also be held before deadline, and it is unclear what will happen in this scenario.

Nasheed has warned of a “legal void” if elections are not held by October 10, as no institution has the power to declare a new date.

The Election Commission has said it needs at least 23 days to complete necessary proceedings for the polls, which means the Presidential Election Bill was passed just in time for elections to be held before the 10 October deadline.

The commission first announced the nation’s first multi-party election could feasibly be held by 4 October if pre-election bills passed in parliament last week.

This would have allowed for the second round to be held before the deadline as well.

Seven candidates are competing against incumbent President Maumoon Abul Gayoom, who is seeking a seventh term in office after 30 years of power.

Ahmed Ali Sawad is the running mate of Qasim

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Breaking News

Male' - Ahmed Ali Sawad, who just completed his PhD reserach in Human Rights Law in Australian, has been confirmed as the running mate of Qasim Ibrahim, the presidential candidate of the Jumhooree Coalition. Sawad's name was announced tonight in a special meeting of JP in Male'. In the acceptance speech, Sawad said that he believes that the current regime of Gayyoom has failed and that with Qasim he can work towards establishing a proper democracy in the Maldives.

Qasim to announce running mate on Monday night

Qasim Ibrahim, the presidential candidate of Jumhooree coalition is expected to announce his running mate in a special meeting to be held at West Park, Male’ at 9:30.

Jumhooree coalition is not giving any further details as to whom they are opting for but they have been speaking with several potential candidates. They are not even revealing a shortlist. The public has been eagerly waiting for running mate of Qasim after he postponed the announcement last week.

Qasim's Official website was launched in 2003

Qasim's official website was launched when Qasim started his reform agenda in 2003. Please visit the website to find out more information on Qasim

http://www.dhivehiobserver.com

Qasim kick starts southern campaign from Addu

The presidential candidate of the Republican Party, Qasim Ibrahim arrived in Addu this morning to kick start his Southern campaign. He was accompanied by a senior delegation of the party and was warmly welcomed by party members and supporters on arrival. 


According to party sources, he will spend the meeting people and visiting homes and will join a special Ifthaar event to be held in Islamiyya School this evening. The main party rally will be held later this evening at 9:00 pm in Hithadhoo School.

Qasim will travel to Fuahmulah tomorrow as part of his Southern Atolls campaign.

Source: Dhivehi Observer

Avoid the Confusion - Avoid the Void

It is time that the local media stop simply carrying all the confusion generated so religiously by some politicians to show why the elections cannot be held inside the timeline provided by the constitution

Every time such a story comes out, it is important that it be presented in the proper context, along with reasons to the contrary as well. Otherwise, it cultivates a kind of unsettling confusion in the minds of the innocent public, who expect things to go as decreed in the constitution.

An Appeal to the Media

We must all realize that none of us has the authority or the capacity to breach the constitution. We must all realize that none of us has the authority or the capacity to correct any wrong committed against the constitution. We must all realize that there is none of us who could show the next path or the next plan if we fail to achieve a timeline or task as provided in the constitution.

We must all grow up and assume responsibility to ensure that we all work to meet the deadline of 10 October for presidential elections.

This is not the time to feed our doubts and uncertainties to the public. It is time to deliver as expected of us, even if it means personal sacrifices, sleepless nights, and long hours.

Some Questions for the Discerning

If for any reason, the presidential elections slip beyond the constitutional deadline of 10 October, several questions would crop up.

Will the constitution recognize any presidential elections held later than the time decreed in the constitution? Who will decide those elections to be legitimate and within the constitution? Can it be within the legitimate powers of the parliament, a creature of the constitution, to decide a different set of dates for the presidential elections or to acquiesce to a postponement outside the constitutional timeframe?

Can the Elections Commission, a creature of the constitution, create a different set of dates? How valid will those dates be? Who will confirm the validity of any such dates? Will that set of dates be considered as lawful?

Can the Supreme Court give a new set of paths to walk, if we fail to achieve the 10 October deadline and fail to hold elections within the timeline? How legitimate would such an alternative path be? Can the Supreme Court, also a creature and ultimate guardian of the constitution go against the very constitution it shall uphold and apply? Can the Supreme Court do anything lawfully except apply, interpret, and decide according to the constitution? Can the Supreme Court have the right to put riders on the constitution, or provide alternative paths to follow? Who will confirm their validity?

Can anyone, all being created under the constitution, effectively and lawfully provide and alternative path or date to which is provided in the constitution? How valid would that be under the constitution?

The fact of the matter is that there is none in this country who could rectify a breach of the constitution.

All of our institutions, the president, the parliament, the Supreme Court, and the independent institutions are all mere creatures of the constitution, and derive powers from the constitution, and exercise their powers to the extent provided in the constitution. Proposing a mechanism outside the constitution or one that alters the constitution is simply outside the bounds of any institution under the Maldivian skies.

All of those institutions work under and inside the constitution. None of them can create a path alternative to the constitution, or rewrite a requirement provided in the constitution. None of them could lawfully provide a path not mentioned in or not recognized by the constitution.

Therefore, however pressed we are for time, which again is by and large due to our own doing, the only way forward is for all of us to work together and aim at holding the presidential elections in time.

There is no other lawful way. There is no other legitimate option. There is no other way in which we could serve the constitution.

Issues to Reflect upon

We must begin to spend time finding ways to meet the constitutional deadline, rather than wasting our precious time filling the minds of the public with serious confusion and political rhetoric.

We all should realize it. The media must realize it. It must stop giving space and airtime to those creative politicians who want to find space in the spectrum - who want to quietly prep the people for a Maldives placed in a constitutional vacuum.

If the country goes into crisis mode, they would not be there to take responsibility for any mishap, or failure. They would not be there to provide any hard answers to the tough legal questions that would be raised. They would not be there to lend any validity to any alternative path, when the country plunges into a constitutional void.

When this country goes into a constitutional vacuum, all minds would stop operating, and everyone would pass the buck to the other, but will not be able to put things right back within the constitution. None could say what would be the starting point, and none could say where the end would be.

Two Points to Remember

Please remember this simple point.

The president, cabinet, parliament, the judiciary, independent commissions and persons in independent offices, all state institutions, all persons in any State post, and simply all citizens are specifically asked by the constitution to comply with the provisions of the constitution from the moment it comes into force.

See article 299 of the constitution, if you have any doubt.

Please also remember this additional point.

Any deadline created outside the deadline of 10 October provided in the constitution would amount in effect to an amendment brought to the constitution.

The constitution is clear that there cannot be an amendment of the constitution until presidential and parliamentary elections have been held and the first president and the first set of parliamentarians have assumed their office.

See article 292 if one doubts my explanation. How clear does the constitutional lock against any amendment have to be?

When these two articles are read together, I do not know how someone subject to the constitution could even think of a day that we would have breached the constitution, or failed to achieve a deadline or task provided in the constitution.

Taking strength from those two provisions, I am also of the opinion, if we default in the presidential elections, nothing legitimate could follow thereafter from the constitution.

Why do we as Maldivians, want to take such a risk? Can we afford to take such a risk?

Repeating the Plea for Media

That is why it is time that the country's journalists and the media, who communicate with the public on these issues, need to understand the issue of a constitutional vacuum in its entirety, gravity, and enormity.

It is time that the media shall stop simple promotion of rhetoric generated by politicians, and push them to do their job and hold them to their task.

Instead of just informing the public on what the politicians are saying, media must now start to interpret those remarks in proper context, so that the public would know why certain politicians are claiming that elections cannot be held in the country by 10 October, and what the ramifications would be for the country, if we fall complacent and do not do our part to honor the constitution.

It is said in an advertisement to ban sale of fur and fur clothes, that, when the buying (of fur clothes) stops, the killing (of animals) would stop as well.

I want to borrow the idea of dependence here and say this: when media stops the promotion, the politicians would have to stop their sensation creating rhetoric and get back to work. That is where they all belong.

Source: www.mnasheed.com

Qasim's running mate announcement postponed

The presidential candidate of Jumhooree Party (JP), Qasim Ibrahim, said in a meeting on Wednesday evening that due to certain issues he is unable to announce a running mate at the moment. Over the week, rumours were going around that former Attorney General and President of Maldivian Democratic Party, who recently joined JP, had been approved by the party council earlier this week. However, the party maintained that they will make a formal announcement in Wednesdays meeting.  Some sources within the party report that they will announce a running mate in the next few days but are not speculating on the shortlist.

Source: Dhivehi Observer

Gayyoom’s government hinders social and economic progress says Qasim

In a special rally of the Republican Party held in Male’ last night, Mr. Qasim Ibrahim, party’s presidential candidate told a packed audience that this government gets in the way of social and economic progress. Qasim gave several examples from his own experiences and explained how he was refused permission to build a hospital in Laamu Atoll. “We proposed to build a full-fledge hospital in Laamu Atoll 18 years ago but the government refused to give us the permission”, Qasim said. 

click to view photos

At the beginning of his speech, Qasim also highlighted the reason behind his continuous philanthropic work. “I came to Male’ from my island for education. I wan unable to get a proper education and I do not others to be deprived of a proper education. That is why I do my part in contributing to the society”, he explained. 

Qasim also dismissed saying that he never got preferential treatment and the government tried their best to obstruct the development of his company. He also gave a detailed account of how he began his career, initially as a clerk at Central Hospital in Male’. 

Qasim called on the Maldivian people to support his bid and let him deliver the change the people want. Qasim promises to build a nation that is based on justice and rule of law with opportunities for every citizen. 

In addition to Qasim, party vice presidents; Muizzu Adnan and Ibrahim Shaheed Zaki, Dr. Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari of Adhaalath and Mohamed Naeem of Maldivian National Congress also addressed the packed crowd.

Source: Dhivehi Observer

Maldives presidential poll delayed -official

The Maldives will not hold its first-ever multi-party presidential poll on Oct. 4, owing to parliamentary delays in passing final reforms, the electoral commission said on WednesdayThe Maldives will not hold its first-ever multi-party presidential poll on Oct. 4, owing to parliamentary delays in passing final reforms, the electoral commission said on Wednesday. 

"The date will be delayed. It depends on which day next week they pass the bills. It's hard to say if we can have an election by Oct. 10," Mohamed Tholal, assistant director-general of the Elections Commission, told Reuters. 

Wednesday, 10 September 2008 14:55

Reuters

Rain or Shine, We must Avoid the Void

Source: Mohamed Nasheed on his blog www.mnasheed.com

I was disappointed with the parliament sessions held yesterday and today.

Parliament Yesterday

The whole day yesterday was spent debating and discussing a report from a parliament committee on emoluments of speaker, deputy speaker, Chief Justice, other Supreme Court justices and members of the independent institutions.

Neither the report of the public finance committee of the parliament, nor the exercise of allocating emoluments itself, was worth a full day's debate. To exacerbate the day, the debate itself was largely tangential to the issue before the parliament.

However, the Speaker did not want to bring the members back from the wilderness. He spent some cool hours on the chair knowing fully well, what was happening in the chamber was not what he had intended to see through the day's agenda.

The result was this: tabling the Presidential Elections Bill had to be put on hold - unnecessarily - for another day.

Parliament Today

Although we were lucky to start debate on the presidential elections bill, after losing first half hour of the day today, to continue with yesterday's debate on salaries and emoluments, the session was largely no better than yesterday's.

Everyone knew that we were losing valuable time. Everyone knew that we were all under pressure to deliver.

There were repeated pleas to cut the debate short, reduce the number of speakers, keep the focus on the subject of the bill, prevent recurrence of same talking points, and disallow irrelevant or lengthy points of order, which often were just out of turn interventions to make an unwelcome impression.

The pleas for a productive day fell on deaf ears, and some members seemed to have enjoyed finding a way to pass time during otherwise cumbersome fasting hours of the midday.

We could see the self-acclaimed Thomas Jefferson of the Maldives constitution attempting to drill democratic definitions into our heads. We could see the self assumed dean of parliament standing up to put the country on a fairer path. We could see the "genuine" reformers trying to show how genuinely they wished the people of this country every good.

It was nothing but a show of useless political grandstanding with no relevant aim or cause in sight - long live our new found values of democracy and tolerance.

Election Reaction

All of this is apparently a bitter reaction from some quarters to the announcement by the Elections Commission yesterday to hold the first round of presidential elections tentatively on 4th October, if all relevant electoral bills were done with inside this week.

Somehow, some members, or rather, some parties, feel that their candidates need more time to campaign. If their candidates do not get time to campaign to their hearts fullest, the elections cannot be held democratically, or the freeness or fairness of those elections would be thrown into serious doubt.

What we saw in parliament yesterday and today was nothing but another futile attempt to stalemate the elections process and checkmate those who are trying to push things through.

I say that it is yet another attempt to torpedo the process and the progress, for a reason. I have seen this attempt made several times at every important juncture. It is all in the script.

When the constitution was passed, several challenges were in built during the last stages thinking they would not be possible to be overcome. The appointment of the prosecutor general was to be disrupted, and the selection of members to the elections commission, were never to materialize, by raising the bars high on short-listed candidates. The same has been lobbied for the Supreme Court, now. The passage of all relevant bills was to be another important roadblock.

Somehow, the forces hell bent on arresting the forward movement under the constitution had to succumb to the forces equally converged on pushing the process through, whatever the cost.

Last Constipation

Now what we see is the one last attempt to hijack the electoral process before parliament loses control over the process. The attempt is to see if the process could collapse if things were held back just a little longer on the bills. So that, the elections commission could have no choice but to confirm their inability to deliver on the already conditional promises tied to the presence of key election legislations.

In the name of fairness of elections, somehow, some have been trying to take this country towards a constitutional vacuum. My question is why take such a huge risk - and to laugh at whom, except own selves? Why spit in the air, face up?

That is not helping a nation, begin a period of transformation or democratization. That is hijacking the country's democratic processes and transitional aspirations through nice talk and populist rhetoric.

Frustration Excursions

We do not attend parliament to listen to reactions to frustrating political compromises inked together the night before by some parliamentarians, or the unpopular presidential campaigns held by some candidates the last time they traveled to the country's atolls.

We do not attend parliament to waste the best part of the day there listening to some creative politicians taking maximum advantage of the nightly parliament broadcasts so that the may communicate confusion and encourage chaos to the larger electorate.

Hey, I am the best, the most devout reformer of all - things must go my way or no way - if I am not involved in it, then it must not be democratic - are what echoes out of a session of parliament on an otherwise killing morning of a fasting month while the country awaits news that the elections bills are done.

Two days

Now we got two days, Wednesday and Thursday to finish the presidential elections bill and the general electoral rules bill. If need be, extra sessions must be held during the weekend as well to meet the target.

It is but our job to ensure that by Sunday morning, Elections Commission has their bibles with them: the Electoral Rules Act and the Presidential Elections Act, in addition to the Maldives constitution.

Come rain or shine, there is no other choice but to assist the Elections Commission and get this thing done with.

Unlike what the speaker has opined, or the self acclaimed Thomas Jefferson of the Maldives has proposed, I am inclined to believe what the MDP parliament group leader Afeef said.

According to him, work on the presidential elections bill does not need to be kept on hold until the general electoral rules bill is made into law just because each has cross references to the other, and each needs to be read with the other. In fact, the two bills need to be in the same committee now to be worked on together, and tied well to each other while ironing out any creases.

I am not sure why the Speaker or our self assumed Dean of parliament does not find the logic in that proposal. Perhaps, they have run out of ways to delay the process.

Selfish Gains

We can push this country through this process, only, if we do not care who takes the credit for our work, rise above our own self centered egos, cut our ties with positions we have entrenched on our own, start appreciating things from a more national perspective, and agree upon a win-win formula for all.

We came much later than our country did. The country would remain long after we are gone. There is no use, trying to engrave our footprints on it, with creative ethnocentric populism and self-centered political grandstanding. 

The Difference

They say that, the difference between politicians and statesmen is that politicians look at the next election, while statesmen look at the next generation.

This is our moment to be less of politicians and more of statesmen in our disposition, and in discharge of our responsibilities.

Can Golhaabo be forced to withdraw from presidential race?

As everyone knows, under the amended constitution ratified last month, no one can seek office for more than two 5-year terms but the Maldives Dictator is hell bent on remaining in office at any cost. He is calling it a new constitution. 

However, he may be in for a surprise as his own brother Abdulla Yameen, head of Peoples Association (PA), is reportedly colluding with several key politicians and trying to take control of the Supreme Court. If that happens, he could very well try to come up with a judgment banning Golhaabo from standing for office this time. According to sources close to Yameen, with Golhaabo out of the picture, the DRP will have to make an alliance with his party and he could declare himself the Presidential Candidate of DRP-PA coalition. The source also said Thasmeen Ali, the current running mate of Golhaabo is a pawn of Yameen, placed there to facilitate his rise to power.

Of course these are just conspiracy theories but pundits say that Yameen may very well be the preferred choice of Golhaabo if he could not stand for office. Also, despite earlier indications from Yameen, he has not yet thrown his hat in to the race. Yameen’s associates say that he has not given up on the idea and has a cunning plan to get what he wants. 

Yameen, left the cabinet about two years ago and formed his own party recently, after running it as just Peoples Association. Some of his colleagues until late have since moved on and joined the party of his rival Qasim Ibrahim, the Republican Party. A few like ‘Underwear’ Nazim is still by Yameen’s side.

The source also said that Yameen has also agreed to join his brother’s cabinet and will take on Finance and Trade under one ministry. Furthermore, his associate ‘Underwear Nazim’ will also join him in the cabinet. 

Looks like the ‘Kaaminee Clan’ isn’t yet ready to give up their stronghold on power without a fight. 

Of course, people like Golhaabo and Yameen should never be under estimated. Nevertheless, one thing is certain this time, that the people of Maldives are going to get a free vote and Golhaabo could be ousted provided the opposition groups unite. 

We will know the outcome in just a few weeks. Golhaabo’s fate could be sealed in the first week of October if elections take place on the 4th as being proposed by the Election Commission.

Source: Dhivehi Observer

Ibra Condemns Gayoom Over Taking Credit For Schools

Social Liberal Party presidential candidate Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra) has condemned President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom for taking credit for establishing schools in every atoll.

In a statement from the party, Ibra said the construction of schools in every atoll came after the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) made an arrangement with former president Ibrahim Nasir before he left office.

At last week’s televised Presidential Q&A, Gayoom had said: “When I became president there were only four government schools. Now there are 221 government schools.”

Speaking as someone involved in the project, Ibra said schools began to be constructed when Gayoom came into power because UNICEF had provided the materials and volunteer work.

Source: www.minivannews.com

Breaking News: Elections Slated For 4 October

The Maldives' new elections commission on Monday announced a provisional elections date of 4 October, leaving less than a month until the country's first ever multi-party presidential polls.

The date is contingent on the Presidential Elections Bill and Supreme Court nominations passing a parliamentary vote by the end of this week.

And the commission plans to vet candidates' applications to stand by 24 September, with applications opening next week.

"We can give [candidates] ten days" to campaign, said new elections commissioner Mohamed Ibrahim.

"When we took over, a lot of work had been done by the previous Elections Commission. But there's a lot more that needs to be done," Ibrahim said.

The timeframe requires changes to the draft Presidential Elections Bill, under debate in the Majlis (parliament) on Monday.

And the five-member commission, the first independent body to oversee elections in the country, does not yet know what groups will be observing the polls.

It is the first time in his 30 year rule that incumbent President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom will face opponents at the polls, but two political parties have cast doubts over whether there is time to prepare for a free and fair election.

The new commission, voted in last week, is currently working to translate the existing, provisional voter list into Dhivehi, having received 702 complaints on the list initially released by the previous elections commission in English.

"Vote counting centres in the atolls have been decided," said Ibrahim. He said work is underway to establish a system for Maldivians abroad to vote.

Seven candidates have already said they plan to challenge President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom at the polls, with the first, former attorney general Dr Hassan Saeed, announcing his candidacy last year.

Former finance minister Gasim Ibrahim, of the Republican Party, Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) of the largest opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra) of the Social Liberal Party and Umar Naseer of the Islamic Democratic Party are also actively campaigning.

But equal coverage on state media does not officially begin until the campaign period is announced.

Past elections had been held under a one-candidate referendum system, and overseen by an elections commissioner appointed by the president.

The elections will be the culmination of a four-year reform process which saw a new constitution ratified on 7 August.

Reforms followed international criticism over a crackdown on widespread protests in 2003, sparked by the death of prisoner Evan Naseem at the hands of security forces.

www.minivannews.com
By Judith Evans in Malé
September 8, 2008

Manipulating the Elections Commission

There seems to be some debate in the public domain on the manner in which DRP has come to "own" and "manipulate" to its advantage, the membership of the Elections Commission.

Political Motivation

I feel that the discussion is purposefully engineered for political reasons, and more specifically, to cast doubt and bias over the functioning and decisions of the Commission - simply because, certain nominations put forward by certain parties on certain considerations, were not voted in for the Commission when the time came.

Thirty-day Timeline

Meeting the timeline of 30 days for the formation of the Elections Commission had been one of the primary concerns of the government. This was evident in the remarks I made to the media on the night of the protest at the Presidential Palace over the ratification of the constitution.

If the Commission could not be formed within the 30 day deadline due to the difficulty to get the two third majority clearance for every candidate, there was no plan B. There was no agreement on what should happen next.

Hence the government took it upon itself to ensure that the Commission had to be set up at every cost to ensure the process did not derail, and the country did not plunge into a constitutional void.

Deal on Nominations

The constitution required names to be sent by parties to the parliament. Eight parties sent names for five seats. Naturally candidates of three parties would have to be left out.

The question was how to get the agreement of parliament members to the amount votes needed to pass the two third threshold.

DRP linked to government could not have pulled it off on its own in parliament. DRP dealing with Peoples Alliance, a party owned by ex DRP bosses could not have done it on their own either. MDP with their relatively few members in parliament could not have done it alone by themselves either.

The nearest we could go for two thirds was having an agreement amongst those three parties.

Ibrahim Ismail is a presidential candidate, and a single voice, with just one vote, representing Social Liberals inside the parliament. His agreement meant nothing for the rest.

Republican Party had at least 10 parliamentarians but they could not be said to be the largest opposition to the government. MDP for all purposes would be that opposition. Therefore, outside the parliament, they were still to be formed and organized in a palpable way.

Besides, the Republican parliamentarians had already started sending out express and implicit signals that they had the ultimate control over the process and that their blessing was crucial for any forward movement. Their message was clear, that, they would torpedo anything that did not meet their requirements.

Naturally, a desire was evident amongst rest of the parliamentarians of other key parties to give out an equally strong message that Republicans could be proven wrong.

Seat Allocation

After intense proposals that went back and forth, it was agreed that MDP should be provided with two seats on the Commission. Earlier DRP had asked for two. Reason was that it was the largest faction within the parliament and outside the parliament, and had two other parties aligned with it. The remaining seat was given to IDP to bring in a Republican candidate through an alternative route.

How MDP could be given a second seat to balance power with DRP was the issue. It could be done only if a party supporting DRP could be encouraged to promote a candidate preferably from or at least acceptable to MDP. That was done when Peoples Party promoted the name of an MDP choice.

Hence, the deal was done a day or so ahead of the vote, that People's party would carry the name of Fuad Thiwfeeq acceptable to MDP, in addition to allowing MDP to carry its own candidate Ahmed Shahid. DRP and its ally MSDP floated names of Mohamed Ibrahim and Mohamed Mahir respectively. The name of Ali Faiz, a Republican, but promoted by IDP was the fifth candidate. The package was completed.

Saved in Time

Peoples Alliance was the central force that brought the deal together between DRP and MDP. There is no secret about that. In turn, DRP relied heavily on Peoples Alliance and MDP to collect the necessary votes and form the Commission inside the thirty day period.

Ultimately, the Commission was voted in on the 29th day of the constitutionally imposed deadline of 30 days. The Commission had two chairs aligned to DRP, two chairs aligned to MDP, and one chair aligned to the Republicans.

No Ownership

In this allocation of seats, it is highly creative to suggest that DRP has manipulated the Commission and has owned it de facto. Three of the five seats represent opposition to the government at worst, or neutrality at best.

I am certain that despite the many accusations to the contrary, the Elections Commission would prove its independence, deliver on its expectations, and base their decisions on fair play.

www.mnasheed.com

State Media giving equal time for Presidential Candidates is a joke

Minister of Information, Arts and Legal Reform, Mohamed Nasheed Kutti always maintained that the state media TVM will give equal opportunity to all Presidential candidates and he appeared to have kept his word – that is until last night. On Friday night in an unprecedented move, the TVM gave the opportunity to Dictator Gayyoom to answerback all the issues that were raised in the Presidential Debate shown live on TV on 3rd September.

A live transmission of the Dictator’s speech to the DRP meeting was shown live on the national TV where the Dictator attempted to counter all the arguments raised by his opponents. As usual, he failed to do so but this is beside the point.

The point is Kutti Nasheed has once again proved that he is nothing but a derrière-kisser of the Dictator; and the likelihood of the TVM showing live the next speech by the other Presidential candidates to their respective parties is zilch.

In the Maldives, the state media giving equal time and opportunity for all the Presidential candidates is nothing short of a joke. It was, is and will always be the mouthpiece of Dictator Gayyoom as long as he remains in power.

Kutti, you should wake up and do the right thing. Why are you still aboard a ship that is bound to sink to the bottom of the sea in the next few weeks?

Dhivehi Observer